I have 90 "Blade Man" blades I found in an antique store. I plan on trying them out soon. The one pack I opened looked to be in great shape. I have no idea how old they are.
Hiya, I stopped using currently made blades quite a while back. For a number of years the Iridium was my go to blade, with the occasional Feather for a change of pace. Now I alternate between 3-4 vintage stainless steel blades and find em to be even better than anything else I've tried. There's a few different Wilkinson blades, an old Schick Plus Platinum (before the blue pack) from the late 1960s, and the Personna 74. I never thought anything would be as good or better than the Iridium, but I was mistaken. Martin
Tonight's shave of two days growth: mint Don Juan blade in a '50s Aristocrat, VDH soap. The blade got 10 laps each side in a McKee glass hone, then in the Twinplex. Two passes later I got DFS+ with little effort...blade was smooth enough to not be irritating. Coulda pushed it one more pass for complete BBS but wasn't in the mood. One of these days I need to experiment on just how much life I can get out of a carbon with stropping and honing. Maybe this summer.
I like a milder razor for vintage carbon blades. I usually use an adjustable set way low. I think the Aristocrat would give me a pretty rough ride with some of my carbs. But then, I don't hone or strop them like you do. I might give it a try.
If you are interested in honing or stopping old blades give this a read. http://www.oldjimbo.com/pics/shave/shaving.html I would say this is the result of 1-5 years of experimenting. He gives a great study of the difference between vintage and modern de blades.
I don't use vintage blades; I have a hard enough time trying to decide which blade I like as it is without throwing vintage blades into the mix. But if you like 'em, then more power to you!
I just acquired 150 Fuller Brush company blades that seem to be in immaculate condition and have been tossing around using them. I am assuming they are 50's or 60's but could be newer. I did look at the fuller brush website and the aren't something that is being sold now. Since I am new to to the DE shaving scene I am working with only one type of blade for the next month to improve my technique and then maybe I will try them. Straight Arrow, how were the fuller blades for you if you can remember?
I had a couple of those British made Gillette Platinums from the 70's and they were really a nice blade. I'm leery of vintage carbon steel blades but if they are in good shape I suppose I'd give them a go.
Never had a problem with vintage blades, but I've (like many of you) stuck to stainless and avoided carbon.
Some vintage DE's that i bought had inside the parcel some old unused blades I have even from USSR some blades but all of them are in the closet. I don't want them in my skin,i don't like the idea.
If you see no sign of rust on the cutting edges (typically you won't if they're sealed and were kept dry), they'll shave fine. You may find consistency gaps within a pack, and a few carbon brands may NEVER agree with you, but that goes for modern stainless, too. If you proceed a bit slower with the carbons, the different feel and feedback make for an interesting experience; barring a totally bad blade, you'll end up with just as good a shave as you would have got from any stainless. I compare shaving with carbons to eating truly exotic foreign fare instead of pizza: a novel experience with a tiny learning curve, but interesting and fun. Breaks up the routine.
I look forward to your review! If I may suggest...if a carbon doesn't seem to shave well, don't quit on it yet, try it in a different razor. As with any blade, it can make a big difference, more so than with stainless, I found.
